Portrait
by rohanyoshi
Summary: At a movie night with the Cullens, Bella learns the history of the family's mother figure- Esme.


The Cullens invited me to movie night. I had no idea that vampires liked to watch movies, but you never know about vegetarian vampires, I guess. Edward said that his family liked to watch movies, but I had no idea what they would find entertaining. I decided that I would bring one of my favorites and see what they thought. He warned me that Carlisle and Esme might be a little tense today. I ignored that- of course Esme and Carlisle would be tense, knowing that their son was bringing a human into the house. Edward promised that Alice and Jasper would be there, and Rose and Emmett, too.

As we drove down the narrow, winding lane that led to the Cullen's house, Edward's face became more stern by the second. His nerves were beginning to run off on me, and I wondered what was so awful about today. I fingered the plastic cover of the movie.Edward held the door open for me and I climbed out of the car. The Cullen house was utterly silent, except for the rustling of the trees around the property. Edward silently took my hand and led me to the living room. The whole family was already seated, waiting for us. Emmett and Rosalie were sitting on opposite sides of the room, but they didn't look angry. Alice and Jasper were seated on the floor in front of the white sofa, and Esme was on the far right. Carlisle had an arm around his wife's waist, but they had left room on the other side for Edward and I.

"Finally, Bella!" Alice chirped. "Good, you brought it!" She took the movie out of my hands and slipped it into the DVD player. I rolled my eyes. Alice was able to tell the future, somewhat. She must have 'seen' me bringing the movie. Edward stepped over Jasper and pulled me on the sofa next to him. Carlisle's eyes flickered over to me, but he didn't say anything. The atmosphere in the room was a lot more unfriendly than it had been the first time I met the Cullens. The music began and I snuggled into Edward's hard chest. The familiar ship of the Titanic emerged into view on the screen.

The room of vampires watched the movie with stony expressions. Even when the actors kissed, they never squealed. Sometimes I thought that Alice moved a little, but then I'd blink and she'd be in her original position. But when the ship went down, and the camera caught to a young third-class passenger boy's face, Esme flinched. The boy was maybe ten years old. Jasper stiffened, and Edward became rigid next to me.

"Excuse me." Esme murmured. She rose gracefully and left the living room. I watched her ghost-like form disappear through the dark doorway and looked at Edward. He gave no indication that Esme had even been in the room at all. I saw the upstairs lights flick on and heard Esme rattle something in a room. The other Cullens were watching the movie with blank eyes. I got the impression that they were listening to Esme rather than watch the movie. Carlisle sat next to the spot which Esme had vacated. I wondered why he didn't follow her.

The movie ended after another half-hour of the Titanic survivors being rescued by the Carpathia. The Cullens finally stirred. Emmett lazily flicked the lights back on. I gazed at each of their faces. Their golden eyes gave nothing away. Rosalie was glaring at me, and Alice looked a little nervous. I sat up a little straighter. I wasn't sure what to say. I hadn't registered the movie for once- I hadn't cried, which was a first. Five minutes passed, and we continued the silent staring game.

"What happened?" I asked timidly. The vampires exhaled. Edward smoothed my hair down and sighed.

"It's a touchy subject, Bella." he replied. "It's not our story to tell, and I don't want to say it if Esme hasn't told you yet." Carlisle rose and left the room. Edward tracked his vampire father's movements with narrowed eyebrows.

"I need to know. I'm going to be part of this family soon, whether you like it or not, Edward." I said stubbornly.

"Then you'll know when you're a vampire." Edward snapped.

"What's so bad about it that being a vampire would stop me from hearing it? It's a story. It's not going to hurt anyone at all." I protested. "Please, Edward. I'm sure Esme wouldn't mind at all." Rosalie and Emmett silently rose and retreated to their bedroom. I didn't want to think about what they were going to to up there.

"It's Esme's story." Edward insisted.

"I'll tell her." Carlisle said from the top of the stairs. I stood up. "Edward, you can leave if you don't want to hear it again."

"Fine." Edward got up and left me alone with Carlisle.

We sat back down on the couch and Carlisle looked over at me with a serious expression. We stared at each other for a while and then Carlisle seemed to steel himself. He took a deep breath and sighed. The tension was beginning to bother me. What was so bad about this? Why did all the vampires seem to flee from me when Esme's story was mentioned? Alice and Jasper had left, as quietly as the others had.

"I turned Esme when I found her in the morgue around a hundred years ago." Carlisle began. "She was severely injured in a suicide attempt." I knew everything he said already. "Esme's transformation took four days, longer than Edward's. I was starting to worry that I had killed her, when she awoke in my house in Columbus. At first, she was terrified of us, especially me. She liked Edward better. She seemed more comfortable with him, and Edward was gentle with her. There was something between them that made me think that Esme was in love with Edward. But then I learned the beginning of Esme's story.

"Esme married a man named Charles Evenson, a gentleman. Her father had wanted her to marry him, and she didn't argue. Esme learned that Charles was very different than the face that her new husband put on for her mother and father. He drank and overspent the money that she earned. When she came home every night, she never knew what to expect. A gentle, sober Charles, or a harsh, angry, abusive Charles. He beat her." Carlisle snarled. "Once she was in the hospital for a knife cut. Charles insisted that it was an accident while cooking, but Edward sometimes seemed to get angrier when he was around. Charles was eventually signed off in World War I, and Esme was given a brief break from her husband. But then he survived the war, and came back. Soon after, Esme was pregnant. She ran away to Wisconsin and had a son. Two days later, her baby died of lung fever."

I didn't know what to think. Sweet Esme was _beaten _by a man? I couldn't believe that she had ever done anything to Charles that would make him like that. And then her son died, too. None of the Cullens had good lives.

"Esme's son was born on December 6th, and died a hundred years ago today." Carlisle finished. I didn't have any time to think when Carlisle was gone. It was like he was never there, and I sat there in silence for a while. Edward reappeared.

"Charles Evenson was murdered ten years after the birth of his son." Edward continued coldly, without any emotion. "Every year at this day, Esme goes into the woods with paint and an easel, and she returns with a beautiful portrait of someone in her life. The first year, it was Carlisle. When Rose, Emmett, Alice and Jasper joined us, they were painted. She's painted her son numerous times. Esme has painted everyone famous that she admires... and this year, she painted you in a family portrait

"What?" I asked, startled. Edward picked up a frame and whipped the sheet off of it. The picture had all of us in elegant clothing and poses, with warm golden eyes and brown eyes. We looked like a real family, and I was in it. Edward smiled at me.

"You're part of her family now."


End file.
